Polk County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Arrest Engineering Student

On Saturday, January 7, 2012, Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested 22-year-old Steven Matthew Nixon, 920 Southwest 6th Street, Gainesville, for Traveling to Polk County to have sex with a 14-year-old child.Nixon told detectives that he had a full academic scholarship for an engineering degree at the University of Florida.

“His ‘free’ ride to school is over,” said Sheriff Grady Judd.“Instead, we gave him a ‘free’ ride to the Polk County Jail.”

In June 2011, Nixon met a 14-year-old female online and developed a relationship with the child.From June through November 2011, Nixon traveled from Gainesville to Polk County to engage in sex with the 14-year-old victim.

The victim’s mother discovered the relationship in December after overhearing her daughter discuss the relationship with another female.The victim’s mother contacted the PCSO about what she had learned.

Detectives arrested Nixon in Gainesville at his residence on January 7th.He was charged with Lewd and Lascivious Battery, Traveling to Meet a Minor, and Solicitation of a Minor.He was booked into the Polk County Jail on No Bond.

Nixon was arrested in August 2010 for Traveling to Meet a Minor, and Lewd and Lascivious Conduct.He had contacted the victim, another 14-year-old girl, and solicited her for sex via another social website.Nixon traveled from Brandon to Polk County to meet the victim for sex.Nixon picked the victim up at her residence and attempted to engage the victim in sexual activity.The victim pulled away and was unharmed.

Nixon was on Probation for the 2010 charges at the time of his January 7, 2012 arrest.